The present invention relates generally to camping equipment and more particularly to sleeping bags with integral sleeping bags.
Millions of people worldwide go camping each year to experience the outdoors away from the comforts of city life. Although part of the attraction of camping is xe2x80x9croughing itxe2x80x9d, there is a certain minimal level of comfort which many people like to maintain in order to have a pleasant experience. Sleeping is one activity which is hard to perform well without such a minimal comfort level. The surface upon which a camper sleeps can be very important in determining the level of comfort. In order to isolate the sleeper from the hardness and irregularities of the ground, it has become the practice of many campers to use an air mattress, which is basically a thick flat rubber balloon which can be interposed between the sleeper""s sleeping bag and the ground.
There may be certain problems associated with using a sleeping bag with a separate air mattress. As a sleeping person turns in his sleep, the bag, which may be made of nylon or some other somewhat slippery material, may tend to slide off of the air mattress. In response to these problems there have been attempts to make a sleeping bag with an integral air mattress, so that they will not separate during sleep-time movements. However, there may be additional problems with a sleeping bag which has an air mattress permanently attached. As with all balloon-like structures, punctures are a danger. Although an air mattress may be patched to repair punctures, there may come a time when further repair is not worth the effort, and it is desirable to replace the mattress. For mattresses which are integrally formed, or permanently attached, replacement may be difficult without destroying the overall equipment.
Also there may situations, where a removable air mattress would be desirable from a weight standpoint, or for use in cabins, where the bag is useful as a blanket, but an air-cushion is not necessary.
Thus there is a need for a sleeping bag which includes an attachable air mattress, but which has an air mattress which is easily detachable, and replaceable in case of damage, or when an air-cushion feature is not desired.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sleeping bag with attached air mattress.
Another object of the invention is to provide an air mattress which is detachable from the sleeping bag.
And another object of the invention is to provide an air mattress which is replaceable by another of its kind when desired.
Briefly, one preferred embodiment of the present invention is a sleeping bag with a replaceable air mattress, where the sleeping bag includes a top layer and a bottom layer. The top layer has a top layer opening edge and a top layer sealed edge, and the bottom layer has a bottom layer opening edge and a bottom layer sealed edge. The top layer opening edge and the bottom layer opening edge are releasably fastened along some portion of their length by a first fastener which is attached at a first attachment site. The bottom layer further includes a second attachment site for an upper portion of a second fastener. The air mattress has a perimeter and includes an inflatable portion and a peripheral extension. The peripheral extension includes a third attachment site for a lower portion of a second fastener. Upper and lower portions of the second fastener releasably fasten the air mattress to the sleeping bag.
An advantage of the present invention is that the sleeping bag may not require padding and heat insulation on its lower surface, as the air mattress may provide padding and heat insulation.
A further advantage is that in standard manufacturing practice for air mattresses, a bordering strip of material is included beyond the inflation area of the air mattress, and this bordering strip is usually trimmed off. However, this same bordering strip may be used as an attachment site for detachably fastening the air mattress to the sleeping bag, and thus eliminating a fabrication step.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and the industrial applicability of the preferred embodiment as described herein and as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.